The government has begun efforts to end illegal mining activities at Bompieso and Abosso in the Western Region as authorities seek to pave the way for Global (Ghana) Ore Industries Limited to commence operations on its legally acquired concession.
The Attorney General’s Office, together with the Minerals Commission and representatives of Global Ore, engaged residents on the revocation of community mining licences and the need to respect the company’s mining rights.
The engagement also focused on the provisions of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, with authorities warning residents against threats, assaults and other acts of violence in opposition to the company’s operations.
State Attorney for the Western and Western North Regions, Mr Kingsley Nana Agyekum, urged residents and community miners occupying portions of the concession to vacate peacefully to allow the company to begin its operations.
He said the Constitution and mining laws vested the Minerals Commission with the authority to grant mining licences, meaning that persons operating without the required documentation were engaged in illegal mining.
Mr Agyekum said Global (Ghana) Ore Industries Limited, with Tax Identification Number C006490423, had been granted permission to undertake underground mining on a 16.2-square-kilometre concession comprising 77 cadastral blocks.
The concession includes areas for mine infrastructure, a new shaft pit and a processing plant.
He said although some residents had resisted the company’s operations over the past two years, the law would have to be respected.
“There are laws in the country. Nobody can just stop anyone from mining, but as it stands now, anyone mining in these designated areas is committing an offence punishable by law,” he said.
The State Attorney warned that persons mining without licences issued by the Minerals Commission could face a fine of not less than 10,000 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢120,000, or a prison term of between 15 and 25 years.
He also cautioned residents against resorting to vigilantism to protect or maintain illegal mining operations.
The Western Regional Manager of the Minerals Commission, Mr Francis Annobil, said Global Ore had been granted a 17-year mining licence effective December 13, 2024.
He explained that previous community mining activities on the concession had expired and that the government had subsequently revoked all community mining licences.
“We know government has cancelled the old system and will roll out responsible cooperative mining. But you need documentation. Those without documentation are engaged in illegal operations. In any case, community mining is banned,” he said.
With the government seeking to move mining activities into more formal and regulated structures, Global Ore says it intends to make local communities central to its operations.
The company’s General Manager, Mr Joseph Yankson Forbah Jnr., said the company had engaged residents and illegal miners through dialogue and mediation in an effort to create a peaceful operating environment.
He said the company planned to prioritise local employment and skills development, while services including mining support, catering, engineering and transportation would be outsourced to qualified local contractors in line with Ghana’s local content policy.
An employment committee made up of community representatives and officials from the company’s human resource and community relations departments would oversee the recruitment of unskilled workers, he said.
Mr Forbah appealed to illegal miners to consider transitioning into formal employment and said the company would offer opportunities with improved occupational safety standards, annual leave and pension benefits.
“We are not here to destroy communities. We are here to partner with them, create jobs, develop the area and ensure mining benefits everyone,” he said.
Lawyer for Global Ore, Mr Emmanuel Okyere, said the company had obtained the necessary statutory approvals, including permits from the Environmental Protection Agency.
He appealed to stakeholders to help end the community agitations so the company could begin operations.
Traditional authorities also expressed support for the company’s entry into the area.
The Abusuapanyin of Bompieso, Nana Asare Bediako, said the traditional leadership was ready to welcome Global Ore and urged residents to prioritise the broader development of the community over individual interests.
The Head of the Attorney General’s Office for the Western and Western North regions, Mrs Angela Oboshie Abba, described developments in the Abosso-Bompieso mining enclave as a serious concern.
She said the office was working to uphold the law and support efforts to curb illegal mining, which had caused extensive degradation of land in the area.
The engagement marks a renewed push to replace unregulated community mining with formally licensed operations, while authorities and the mining company seek to assure residents that the transition can deliver jobs, skills development and broader economic opportunities for local communities.
